The Art of Healing
by LivLovesLiterature
Summary: What happens to the Golden Trio after the war and how they cope and put their lives back together.


THE ART OF HEALING

After The War

Prologue

He stumbled into the room, and collapsed. Harry exchanged a shocked glance with Ron and Hermione. The once gleaming perfectly kept Gryffindor common room was in shambles. Chairs were overturned, the floor was strewn with old papers and the fire had exploded so there was bits of wood everywhere. The stairway to his dormitory was cracked and looked unstable, and there was a trail of blood leading from the stairs to the doorway where they stood.

Hermione sat down beside him and wrapped an arm around his shoulders, while Ron walked around, picking up random things and trying in vain to organize them. But Harry didn't miss the tears falling thick and fast down his pale, freckled cheeks. Eventually, he came and sat down next to them. Harry looked at Hermione and no longer felt weak and guilty when he saw the same tragedy and loss in her eyes that he was sure showed in his own. For a while, they say in silence, sitting on the floor of the Gryffindor common room. Wordlessly, Ron stood up and spoke.

"Hermione, if you want - you can come to our dormitory. I wouldn't want to be alone if I were you." He looked unsure, but was quickly calmed when she practically leaped into his arms and held him tight. Harry really hoped they wouldn't kiss in front of him again, but Ron swung around and offered him his hand.

They walked up in silence, occasionally blasting aside bits of rock to make way. Harry breathed a sigh of relief at seeing his dorm exactly the way it had always been. He fell onto his bed and fell into a dreamless, peaceful sleep.

Ron and Hermione awkwardly shuffled around each other - Ron settled on the left side of his bed, with Hermione on the right. Ron blushed, and then said,

"Goodnight, Mione."

She smiled to herself.

"Goodnight, Ron."

Chapter 1 - Reconstruction

Harry heard Ron and Hermione get out of bed, but he feigned sleep. He knew what they were going to do - down to the Great Hall to have breakfast. But he also knew what would happen if he went down there with them. The crowds of people, hoards of them who thank him for his triumph or blame him for their losses.

He'd had enough. There was only a select few people he actually wanted to talk to. For now, he would settle for staring at the ceiling. Almost without really thinking about what he was doing, he reached over and grabbed his glasses and wand.

The doorway to the stairs was cracked, and the hinges didn't work. With a swish of his wand and a whispered "Reparo", it was fixed. Harry wished everything in his life could be solved as easily as a cracked door. That's what he was - cracked.

If he was being honest with himself, he hadn't really imagined a future beyond killing Voldemort. It all ended with them killing each other - getting rid of Voldemort and then dying himself so he wouldn't have to see the aftereffects. It wasn't anything he'd told anyone about - his loved ones would have immediately been concerned and angry for him for thinking that way, and he didn't want to worry them.

He had a future now. He could do whatever he wanted, and he had no obligations to do anything else. Harry waved his wand idly at a fly, freezing it in midair. Suddenly, he heard stomping from the stairs and quickly removed his glasses and stowed his wand under the pillow, and rolled over.

"Harry?" Ron's concerned voice sounded muffled because Harry's ears were covered by the pillow. "Harry?" Ron repeated louder. Knowing at this point it would be stupid to pretend he couldn't hear Ron, he pushed off the covers and sat up.

"Yeah?" He knew what Ron was going to ask, for him to come down for breakfast. But he wasn't hungry enough to see the devastation of the home he loved so much.

"I brought you some food. I thought you might not want to come down." Ron peaked his head in around the door, his arms laden with bacon and sausages and toast and pumpkin juice.

Harry sighed in relief. "Thanks. I would have come down but.. you know." He waved vaguely downwards, pointing at nothing really, but Ron nodded like he understood.

"Look, I know it's really hard for you with people and all right now. So Hermione and I decided we would handle everybody and everything for you - you have done enough, mate. You deserve a break." Ron said determinedly, looking as if he thought Harry would argue.

To avoid answering he gazed at the ceiling - the only still intact part of the room. His first instinct was to refuse and say that they deserved as much of a break as him, but he also knew that he would not psychologically be able to deal with the ensuing aftermath. He decided to just be honest. "Thank you. I mean it. I do.. I mean I need a break. I still want to see Ginny and Neville and Luna and them, but maybe later."

Ron looked shocked but quickly hid his look of surprise. He had clearly not expected it to be so easy. "All right, well, when you feel up to it we will hide you and you can talk to just people you want to. Get some sleep, yeah?" He smiled kindly and walked away.

Harry nodded as he sank back into bed. There was still a lot of work to be done. But that could come later.


End file.
